Apparatus for separating metals from solutions containing same.



Patented Nov. 25, i902.

M s. T. MuFFLY. APPARATUS FDR SEPARATING METALS FROM SLUTIDNS CUNTAINING SAME. i

(No Model.)

(Application led Jim. 22, 1902.)

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" ArnNr SIDNEY TI-IEODORE MUFFLY, OF BOWDRE, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO RUNYON PYATT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUSVFOR SEPARATING METALS FROM SOLUTIONS CONTAINING SAME.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 714,598, dated November 25, 1902. Application filed January Z2, 1902. Serial No. 90,750. N0 model.)

To a/ZZ wir/0771,# may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNEY THEODORE MUF- FLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bowdre, in the county of Hall and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Metals from Solutions Containing the Same, of which the following is a full and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatusfor the electrolytic precipitation of metals from a solution of the alkaline cyanids, bromids, chlorids, and hyposulfites, or more particularly for the precipitation of gold and silver from the solution of cyanid of potassium, by which said metals have been dissolved out of -ores or the like.

My present invention also involves a process for performing the operation above specifled; but said process is made thesubject of aseparate application filed of equal date herewith, Serial No. 90,751, and said process may be carried into effect by means of the apparatus hereinafter described and which forms the basis of this application. y A

The invention is fully disclosed in the following speciiication, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of myimprovem ent are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which- Figure lis a sectional side view of the complete apparatus which I employ; Fig. 2, a plan view of a box ,or case forming part of said apparatus, a number of which are employed; Fig. 3, a section on the line 3 3 of Fig.`2, and Fig. 4a section on the line Il 4 of Fig.' 2.

In the practice of my invention I employ a plurality ofboxes or cases A, B, O, D, and

p E, five of which are shown, but any desired number of whichmay be employed, and said boxes or cases are all of the same shape and are open at thetop and preferably square at the top, the fronts and backs being vertical and the sides inclined toward the base.

In Fig. l of the drawings a box or case A is shown with the side thereof adjacent to the observer removed, and for the purposes of this description I have selected this box or case as a basis, all the others being of the same form and construction.

The box or case A has two compartments a and h and a transverse partition c, which does not extend entirely to the bottom of said box or case, whereby an open space or way d is formed at the bottom of said partition and by means of which the compartments a and b are in communication. In the compartment b and adjacent to the partition c is placed a vertically-arranged anode-plate e, of iron, platinum, or other suitable metal, which is connectedy by a circuit-wire with a battery-cell y or other source of electricity, and placed in the side of the compartment b is a mattress-cathode f, consisting of a cellular porous `carbon plate g, placed between two cellular porous carbon casings h and h2', said plate and said casing being composed of carbon derived from the destructive distillation of tar or other suitable powdered carbon product containing the smallest per cent. of ash mixed with a suitable cementing compound to be molded in and to retain the form shown and described.

The carbon casings h and h2 are provided in the top and bottom portions thereof with recesses j and f2, and the 'sides and ends thereof are perforated, as shown at k and 7a2. The carbon cathode-plate g and the carbon casings h and h2, with the filiform packing o', are inclosed in a cover g2, of cotton cloth or other suitable fabric, and these parts form the mattress-cathode f, with which is connected a leading-wire m2, which is .also connected with the battery y or other source of electricity with which the first-named wire is connected.

Between the anode e and the mattresscathode f is a space inclosed by frames Zand Z2, said frames being composed of glass, porcelain, or other suitable substance that is a non-conductor of electricity, and between these frames is preferably placed a screen Z3, composed of any suitable fabric.

It will be observed that each of the boxes or cases A, B, C, D, and E is provided with one of the batteries y, and the corresponding parts of each of these boxes or cases are connected with the corresponding battery, as hereinbefore described and as shown in Fig.

1, and said batteries are provided with a suitable support y2, which may be located at any desired point. I also provide an airpipe m, which is provided with a plurality of branches m2 equal in number to the boxes or cases A, B, C, D, and E, and, referring to the box or case A, one of these branch pipes m2 extends downwardly through the compartment a and is connected with a perforated cross-pipe n, located in the bottom of the compartment b beneath the mattress-cathode j", and these pipes are intended to supply air under pressure to the space beneath the said cathode, as hereinafter described.

It will be observed that the boxes or cases A, B, C, I), and E are arranged in a horizontal line, and each of said boxes or cases is slightly lower than the one to the left thereof, and each is provided at the front thereof, the term front being applied to the righthand side or end of said boxes or cases, with an overflow o, whereby the contents of each of said boxes or cases may be discharged into the adjoining box or case at the front or righthand side thereof, and said boxes or cases may be interchauged, as hereinafter described, whenever desired.

The upper edge portion of the partition c is recessed, as shown at c2, to prevent the overflow of the solution at the outer sides of the box or case, and the anode e and mattresscathode f may be arranged as described and multiplied in each box or case. The object of the fabric screen Z3 between the frames Z and Z2 is to arrest any slime or other objectionable substance from imperfectly-filtered solutions and also` precipitated base elements or anions detached from the anode e.

The .pipe fm is in practice connected with a 'blast-engine to supply air under pressure, which may be either hot or cold, as desired, and in order to create the most effective temperature and to supply oxygen.

The operation is as follows: A solution of cyanid of potassium or other suitable solution containing gold and silver in a solvent state is placed in a storage-tank 2 and flows therefrom through a pipe 3, provided with a controlling-valve 4, into the compartment a of the' box or case A, and passing under the partition c rises through the mattress-cathode f and flows over the apron o into the next box or case B, and said solution passes in the same manner through the boxes or cases B, C, D, and E and flows from the last of said boxes or cases into a tank 5, where it is ,Y strengthened to a proper standard by the addition of fresh cyanid of potassium for further use in leaching ore.` The electric currents for the purpose of electrolytic decomposit-ion and precipitation are supplied through the leading-wires .oo and'zy from the batteries fy, which are sufcient ,in number and strength to produce the requisite :electromotive force to accomplish thebe'st result in the shortest time-that is,-the most perfect electrolysis or rapid precipitation of gold and silver from solution. By means of the electrolytic field confined in the insulating-frames Z and Z2, which are placed between the anode e and the mattress-cathode f, I provide for the free circulation of compressed air through the solution and for the free penetration thereby through the mattress-cathodef, and thus supply an abundant amount of oxygen to enable the molecules of the solution to more rapidly exchange their atoms. In the cellular por ousform of the carbon plate g and carbon casings h and h2 I provide relatively7 numerous electrolytic circuits in which the electric currents can be greatly multiplied. For instance, while a large or strong electric current, as in other apparatus, may pass through the electrodes and electrolytic solution in a constant direction myapparatus has the additional advantage of many small electrolytic circuits being locally maintained within the mattress-cathode by chemical reaction on the'filiform packing t' and also continuously increasing the electrolytic conduction by depositing gold and silver cations in the many cells in the carbon plate g and carbon casings h and h2, thus keeping the electrolytic action more constant than with the use of ordinary exposed cathodes, where corrosion by salts of base metalsy and slimes of im perfectly-filtered solutions cover the surfaces of cathodes and affect the state of the electrolytic balance. From time to time, as'required, a supply of the partly-soluble filiform alloy packing t' is added to the compound cathode f through the recesses j and jz on each side of the plate g to replace the portion which has been dissolved bythe solution. The boxes or cases are also so arranged that no portion of the solution may flow from it without having from IOO one onto the next rise and pass through the the right-hand end of the series, and the other boxes or cases are moved u p, and the box or case B, containing some gold and silver, is the first box or case in the electrolysis of the next solution.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the cathode which I employ is composed of twoor more elements or metals separate in the electromotive scale, one of said elements being in the form of a plate or electrodef and the :others beingpreflerably filiform and intermixed td form a compound elemeiitf subject to' Flocalfactionf and in or among which filiform elements'the said plate is located. It will also be seen'that the boxes or cases A, B, C, I), and E constitute cells, into and through which the solution compound is passed, and any desired number of IIO these cells may be employed, as will be readily understood,`and the shape thereof may also be varied, all that is necessary in this connection being that the form, construction, and arrangement of said cells shall be such as to permit of the-placing therein of the separate parts or elements herein described, so as to accomplish the result specified.

I am aware that carbon in the form of broken charcoal in ordinary filters has been used for precipitating gold and silver from solutions and also that zinc-sponge7 has been used for a like purposeand that sheetlead set in frames with exposed surfaces has been used for cathodes in the electrolysis of solutions, and Itherefore do not claim the use of any of these elements in a like manner.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an apparatus of the class described,

- a mattress-cathode composed of a cellular porous carbon plate and cellular porous carbon casings containing a liform packing of lead and zinc composition within said casings and inclosing said carbon plate together with a plate-anode of iron, or other suitable substance, forming electrodes connecting with a battery or other source of electricity, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a mattress-cathode com posed of a cellular porous carbon plate and cellular porous carbon casings containing a iiliform packing of lead and zinc composition within said casings and inclosing said carbon plates, all of said parts being inclosed in a suitable fabric cover, and togetherrwith a plate-anode of iron, or other suitable substance constituting electrodes connecting with a source of electricity, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a mattress-cathode composed of a cellular porous carbon plate, cellular porous carbon casings containing a iiliform packing of lead and zinc composition which incloses said carbon plato, and a fabric cover for said casing in combination with insulating-frames inclosing an electrolytic field between an anode-plate and said mattress-cathode, said anode-plate and said cathode being in connection with an electric battery or other source of electricity, substantially as shown and described.

4. In an apparatus for the electric precipitation of metals from solution, a mattresscathode composed of a cellular porous carbon plate, cellular porous carbon casings containing a filiform packing of lead and zinc composition in said casings, and inclosing said carbon plate, all of said parts being incased in a fabric cover and in combination with insulating frames inclosing an electrolytic iield between the plate-anode and said mattress-cathode, substantially as shown and described.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a plate-anode, a mattress-cathode composed of a cellular porous carbon plate, cellular porous carbon casin gs containing a filiforln packing of lead and zinc composition in said casings and inclosing said carbon plate, all of said parts being inclosed in a fabric cover with insulating-frames inclosing an electrolytic iield between said plate-anode and said mattress-cathode and a fabric screen between said insulating-frames,substantially as shown and described. .i

6. In anuapparatus of the class described, a receptacle, a plate-anode placed therein, a mattress-cathode also placed therein and composed of a cellular porous carbon plate, cellular porous carbon casings containing a filiform packing of a lead and zinc composition and inclosing said plate, all of said parts being inclosed in a fabric cover, insulatingframes inclosing an electrolytic eld between said plate-anode and said mattress-cathode, and a fabric screen between said insulatingframes and means for supplying air to the bottom of said receptacle.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, a receptacle, a plate-anode placed therein, a mattress-cathode also placed therein and composed of a cellular porous carbon plate, cellular porous carbon casings containing a iiliformpacking of lead and zinc composition and inclosing said carbon plate, all of said parts being inclosed in a fabric cover, insulating-frames inclosing an electrolytic field between said anode and said mattress-cathode, a fabricscreen placed between said insulating-frames and means for supplying air to the bottom of said receptacle, substantially as shown and described.

y In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 17th day of January, 1902.

SIDNEY THEODORE MUFFLY.

Witnesses:

PATRICK NEWTON PARKER, ANDEEsoN GLENN DoRsEY.

IOO 

